FMCSA to Publish Final ELD Rule Late in 2015

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration plans to publish its final electronic logging device rule in the fall or late 2015, an agency official said.

In an update on the agency’s ELD plan, Ava Herman, manager of FMCSA’s regulatory development division, said the rule will be effective two years after its publication date.

The rule also will include new technical specifications for the devices, provisions to protect drivers from harassment from their employers and requirements for supporting hours-of-service documents, Herman told attendees at a Feb. 16 session of the Technology & Maintenance Council's annual meeting here.

The rule has been delayed ever since an appeals court in August 2011 revoked FMCSA’s February 2011 proposed ELD rule. The court chided the agency for not including language in the rule that ensured drivers would not be harassed as a result of using ELDs.

FMCSA issued a supplemental proposed rule March 2014, but has yet to finalize the rule.

Herman said the proposed rule allows drivers to transfer HOS data to law enforcement officers in several ways, including via printout, wireless, USB 2.0 and Bluetooth.